The Marshall Project

The Case Against Cannabis

A journalist’s pursuit of the truth about marijuana, mental illness and violence.

Alex Berenson is probably best known as the author of the John Wells espionage thrillers, 11 of them so far, but until 2010 he was a reporter, including for 11 years at The New York Times, where his assignments ranged from the pharmaceutical industry to Hurricane Katrina.

He did two reporting tours in Iraq. That battleground may seem relatively tame compared to the response when his new book goes on sale.

“Tell Your Children: The Truth About Marijuana, Mental Illness, and Violence” is an intensively researched and passionate dissent from the now prevailing view that marijuana is relatively harmless. The book is a “bullhorn” (his word) for scientists and physicians whose research has, he argues, been drowned out by the triumphal cheers of the marijuana lobby.

He exchanged

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from The Marshall Project

The Marshall Project8 min readPolitics
No-Show Prison Workers Cost Mississippi Taxpayers Millions
When Darrell Adams showed up for an overnight shift at the Marshall County Correctional Facility in rural Mississippi, he was one of six officers guarding about 1,000 prisoners. Adams said he thought that was normal; only half-a-dozen guards had been
The Marshall Project4 min readCrime & Violence
I Wasn’t a Superpredator. I Was a Kid Who Made a Terrible Decision.
At age 14, Derrick Hardaway took part in the murder of an 11-year-old. The media used the crime to build the myth of the superpredator—and stuck him with a label he struggles to shed.
The Marshall Project6 min readPsychology
Prison Is Even Worse When You Have a Disability Like Autism
State officials often fail to identify prisoners with developmental disorders, a group that faces overwhelming challenges behind bars, from bright lights to noises to social dynamics.

Related Books & Audiobooks